MACKINAW 

™  HISTORY 


a  Crttiaue 

ON 

DR.  JOHN  R.  BAILEY'S  BROCHURE 

ENTITLED 

MACKINAW, 

FORMERLY  MICHILIMACKINAC. 


BY  SAMUEL  F.  COOK. 


AUTHORS  EDITION. 


U    alNG,  MICHIGAN. 
1895. 


prcM  of 

Ifilobert  Smftb  S,  Co. 
Xantffifl,  iBicb. 


MACKINAW  IN  HISTORY. 

It  was  with  a  feeling-  of  satisfaction  that  I 
took  up  a  recent  pamphlet  of  220  pag-es,  bear- 
ing" the  title,  **  Mackinaw,  formerly  Michili- 
mackinac.  Looking*  backwards  to  about  the 
time  of  the  flood,  and  forward  to  the  present 
time.  By  Col.  John  R.  Bailey,"  for  many  years 
Post  surg-eon  at  Fort  Mackinaw.  In  view  of 
Dr.  Bailey's  long  residence  at  Mackinaw  and 
vicinity,  and  the  opportunities  thus  afforded 
for  historical  research,  I  felt  certain  that  I 
should  find  not  only  a  pleasing  recital  of  well 
ascertained  facts,  but  a  possible  solution  of 
questions  which  to  me  have  seemed  undeter- 
mined. But  in  scanning  these  pag-es  for 
evicJence  of  original  research  or  answers  to 
puzzling*  queries,  I  met  not  only  disappoint- 
ment but  an  astounding  array  of  inaccuracies 
of  statement,  at  points  where  it  seems  inex- 
cusable. 

The  title  of  the  first  chapter  seems  mislead- 
ing*— "Mackinaw,  formerly  Michilimackiiaac." 

To  the  modem  reader,  Mackinaw  is  a  lovely 


Mackinaw  in  History, 


island  in  the  straits  connecting  Lakes  Michi- 
gan and  Huron,  while  Michilimackinac  is,  as 
it  was  under  both  the  French  and  British 
regimes,  the  name  of  a  region  of  indefi- 
nite extent  bordering  on  and  including 
those  straits.  To  the  careful  reader  of  those 
well  nigh  inexhaustible  mines  of  fact  and 
fiction,  the  Jesuit  Relations,  this  fact  cannot 
fail  to  be  apparent.  It  was  only  after  the 
British  had  located  on  the  island  what  they 
intended  to  be  a  permanent  occupation,  and 
Governor  General  Haldimand  had  signified 
what  the  name  of  the  new  fort  should  be,  that 
the  name  gradually  assumed  the  shortened 
form,  and  finally  became  localized.  The  list 
of  spellings  of  the  name  of  this  part  of  the 
country,  given  on  page  30  of  this  book,  could 
be  readily  doubled  by  a  patient  reader,  who 
would  be  impressed  only  with  the  slight  edu- 
cation of  the  writer  and  not  at  all  by  any  idea 
of  evolution  of  language.  The  following  is  a 
fair  sample  of  the  spelling  in  the  average 
official  letter  of  those  days: 

MichilimackinaCy  July  ag^  1780. 
Dear  Friend:    I  am  sorry  to  acquaint  you  of  the 
ynssage  I  geet  hier  from  I^eake  Muschagan  being  heir 


Mackinaw  in  History. 


plying-  between  Mackeina  and  Mackina  Island,  etc. 

NoRMAiv  McKay, 
Master  of  the  Felicity. 

The  indian  deed  of  the  island  given  in  1781 
says  that  it  was  called  by  the  Canadians  '*La 
Grosse  Isle;"  and  as  they  constituted  the  bulk 
of  the  white  population  of  the  region  at  that 
time,  that  must  be  regarded  as  its  true  historic 
name. 

Our  author  seems  to  delight  chiefly  in  the 
indians  and  the  unsubstantial  traditions  which 
have  been  wafted  forward  from  the  dark 
ages  on  this  continent,  and  although  a  large 
portion  of  the  book  is  devoted  to  the  tribal 
wars  and  massacres  which  caused  extensive 
changes  of  habitat,  he  has  failed  to  note  the 
connection  between  all  this  and  a  history  of 
Mackinaw,  as  well  as  the  fact  that  among  all 
the  tribes  who  frequented  that  region  Mack- 
inaw Island  was  a  sacred  spot  where  they 
gathered  at  varying  intervals  to  appease  the 
wrath  of  the  Great  Manitou,  or  as  a  place  of 
safety  when  in  fear  of  their  foes.  Large  vil- 
lages stopped  there  on  their  way  to  and  from 
their  hunting  grounds  for  rest  and  worship; 
but  none  made  it  a  permanent  home. 


Mackinaw  in  History, 


The  claim  made  on  page  25,  that  "1700- 
1701.  Before  and  after  these  last  dates  the 
capital  an?!  the  metropolis  of  the  Province 
of  Michilimackinac  was  on  the  island  of  the 
same  name,  in  the  straits  of  Michilimackinac. 
It  was  not  only  the  seat  of  justice  and  base  of 
supplies,  but  the  center  of  trade  of  a  vast  ter- 
ritory. It  was  the  headquarters  of  French 
traders  and  trappers  and  their  Couriers  de  Bois 
and  white  and  indian  employes;"  is  absolutely 
without  foundation.  The  French  were  too 
politic  to  in  any  way  offend  the  superstitions 
of  the  indians,  and  were  too  intent  on  securing- 
their  good  will  to  establish  a  fort  and  trading 
station  on  a  spot  sacred  to  their  Deity,  and 
where  they  laid  away  their  dead.  The  Doctor 
may  have  been  misled  in  this  by  the  Rev. 
Chrysostom  Verwyst,  who  states  in  his  "Mis- 
sionary labors  of  Marquette,  Mesnard  and 
Allouez,"  that  it  was  there  (on  the  island)  the 
mission  of  St.  Ignatius  was  founded  before  it 
was  established  at  Point  St.  Ignace."  But 
Mr.  Verwyst  had  failed  to  appreciate  the  no- 
madic character  of  the  indians  of  that  period, 
and  the  conditions  under  which  Marquette 
found  a  large  number  of  them  on  the  island. 


Mackinaw  in  History, 


and  at  once  began  his  work  among  them.  It 
was  simply  that  a  large  village  was  there 
making  inquiry  of  the  Deity  as  to  their  plans 
for  the  future,  when  he  arrived;  he  made  their 
acquaintance  and  preached  the  gospel  to  them, 
and  when  they  went  away,  he  went  with  them. 
Mackinaw  island  was  never  occupied  by  the 
French  either  as  a  mission  site,  a  trading 
point  or  a  military  post.  It  is  entirely  safe  to 
say  that  the  flag  of  France  never  floated  on 
the  island  during  the  period  of  its  ascendency 
in  that  region.  The  French  relied  more  on 
their  suaviter  in  modo  for  success  than  did  the 
British,  and  established  fewer  places  of  mili- 
tary defense.  On  the  neighboring  mainland 
shore  of  East  Moran  bay,  however,  their 
defenses  were  in  accord  with  the  military 
ideas  of  that  time. 

Sixty-eight  pages  of  this  book  are  used  for 
the  recital  of  the  tale  of  the  Pontiac  con- 
spiracy and  the  massacre  at  Michilimackinac, 
taken  from  Parkman's  history,  into  which  it 
had  been  copied  from  Henry's  Travels.  This 
blood-curdling  narrative  of  the  effort  of  the 
indians  to  free  themselves  from  British  dom- 
ination, by  the  destruction  on  June  4,  1763,  of 


8  Mackinaw  in  History, 

the  English  in  and  about  Fort  Michilimack- 
inac,  seems  entirely  foreig-n  to  the  subject  at 
hand.  The  fort  was  on  the  southern  main- 
landf  a  short  distance  west  of  the  present  vil- 
lage of  Mackinaw  City.  It  is  evident  that  in 
those  day.*  it  was  a  lovely  spot,  but  devoid  of 
either  a  harbor  protected  from  the  winds,  or 
any  natural  defenses.  Why  each  succeeding 
would-be-historian  of  Mackinaw  must  incor- 
porate in  his  work  this  terrible  recital  from 
Henry,  is  an  enigma  of  amateur  authorship 
difficult  of  solution. 

Following  this.  Dr.  Bailey  says,  **A  little  more 
than  a  year  after  the  massacre,  Michilimack- 
inac  was  occupied  by  the  couriers  de  bois  and 
such  indian  bands  as  chose  to  make  it  a  tem- 
porary residence;  but  after  the  treaty  with  the 
indians.  Captain  Howard,  with  a  detachment 
of  troops,  was  sent  by  Col.  Bradstreet  to  take 
possession  of  it,  and  *once  more  the  cross  of 
St.  George  was  a  rallying  point,  and  the  pro- 
tection of  adventurous  traders.'"  If  this  be 
true,  when  and  at  what  point  did  the  British 
locate  prior  to  the  establishment  of  the  fort  on 
the  island?  It  seems  to  have  been  assumed  by 
all  who  have  undertaken  to  go  over  this  sub- 


Mackinaw  in  History. 


ject  that  when  the  British  returned  to  that 
region,  they  located  where  seventy  or  more  of 
their  comrades  had  been  brutally  murdered. 
But  this  seems  by  no  means  certain. 

The  descriptions  given  by  the  commandants 
at  that  post  in  1778-9-80,  in  their  official  cor- 
respondence, do  not  coincide  with  the  con- 
ditions existing  at  what  is  now  known  as  Old 
Fort  Mackinaw.  Major  A.  S.  De  Peyster  wrote 
to  the  Governor  General,  May  30,  1778,  *'It  is 
dangerous  to  leave  this  post  any  longer  with- 
out a  vessel  to  winter  at  it,  and  there  is  con- 
stant employment  for  one  all  summer,  besides 
that  the  appearance  of  an  armed  vessel  awes 
the  savages  who  are  encamped  where  they  can 
annoy  the  fort  without  our  being  able  to  bring 
a  gun  to  bear  upon  them  unless  it  be  from  the 
water.  I  hope  therefore  my  having  armed 
and  put  soldiers  on  board  this  sloop  will  meet 
with  your  approbation."  Even  our  author 
will  be  unable  to  bring  himself  to  believe  that 
any  small  sloop  could  ride  at  anchor  for  a  time 
sufficient  to  serve  as  a  defense,  in  the  unshel- 
tered water  in  front  of  the  Old  Fort. 

On  Sept.  21,  following.   Major  De  Peyster 


10  Mackinaw  in  History, 

wrote,  "this  is  but  a  patched  picketed  fort  at 
best,  much  incumbered  with  wooden  houses 
and  commanded  even  by  small  arms,  all  of 
which  has  been  repeatedly  imported  before 
your  arrival  in  Canada  our  strength  here  con- 
sisting" in  the  g-ood  understanding"  kept  up 
with  the  indians  made  it  not  so  necessary  it 
could  not  be  done  in  the  place  the  fort  is  now 
situated  it  being"  an  intire  sand  and  low 
swamp."  Under  date  of  June  20,  1779,  Major 
De  Peyster  wrote  to  Capt.  Brehm,  the  Gov- 
ernor General's  secretary,  a  long  letter  describ- 
ing the  fort  defenses,  in  which  is  the  follow- 
ing: "Some  time  ago  I  informed  His  Excel- 
lency we  were  commanded  by  Sand  I/ills, 
Since  which  we  have  endeavored  to  level 
them,  much  has  been  done  but  we  have  but 
twelve  spades  so  that  there  remains  a  great 
hill  still  to  remove.  The  drifts  from  those 
hills  are  like  snow  drifts,  which  we  are  after 
every  storm  obliged  to  remove." 

As  will  be  readily  seen  by  those  familiar 
with  the  Lake  Michig-an  shore,  Fort  Michili- 
mackinac  was  then  situated  among  shifting" 
sand  dunes,  between  and  among  which  were 
basins  of  water.   But  this  does  not  at  all  accord 


Mackinaw  in  History,  11 

with  the  conditions  at  the  site  near  Mackinaw 
City.  The  theory  that  it  was  from  there  that 
the  British  moved  when  they  established 
themselves  on  the  island  must  be  laid  aside, 
and  the  real  location  sought  beneath  the  shift- 
ing" sands  at  some  other  point  along  the  coast. 

In  a  chronology  of  that  region,  our  author 
gives  June  2,  1763,  as  the  date  of  the  mas- 
sacre at  the  Old  Fort.  Henry,  whose  account 
is  regarded  as  thoroughly  reliable,  places  it 
on  June  4,  and  Major  Etherington,  the  Post 
Commandant,  in  a  letter  written  on  the  11th, 
says  it  occurred  on  the  4th;  but  in  a  letter 
he  wrote  the  next  day,  he  says  it  was  on  the 
2d  of  June.  Mr.  Henry  says  it  took  place  on 
the  King's  birthday;  and  since  he  was  a  good 
Briton,  that  would  seem  to  add  certainty  to 
his  date:     George  III  was  born  June  4. 

Dr.  Bailey  has  collected  but  meagre  material 
relative  to  the  removal  of  the  British  from  the 
mainland  to  the  island.  He  states  that  in 
1764  the  French  began  to  move  there,  and 
that  the  settlement  may  date  from  that  period. 
It  is  possible  that  he  refers  to  the  French 
Canadians,  who  were  the  bulk  of  the  white 
population  of  that  region.     But  there  is  rea- 


12  Mackinaw  in  History, 

son  to  doubt  the  authenticity  of  the  statement 
that  any  number  of  those  people  left  the  mili- 
tary post  with  its  advantages,  to  live  apart  on 
the  island.  They  depended  too  entirely  on 
the  Post  and  the  traders  for  employment,  to 
admit  of  even  the  thought.  They  were  the 
voyageurs^  the  couriers  de  hois^  the  engag^s^ 
the  men  of  all  work  about  the  Post,  and  to 
leave  the  fort,  meant  to  go  without  wages  and 
without  supplies.  In  the  absence  of  positive 
authority,  the  statement  is  highly  improbable. 
Fifteen  years  later,  1779,  Lt.  Governor  Sinclair 
wrote  the  Governor  GeneraFs  Secretary  that  a 
number  of  those  people  had  asked  permission 
to  move  to  the  island  in  view  of  the  probable 
removal  of  the  Fort  the  next  season,  and  that 
he  had  refused  to  allow  them  there,  until  he 
should  hear  from  the  Governor  General  on  the 
matter. 

The  reason  for  the  removal  of  the  Post  to 
the  island,  the  Doctor  states,  **was  on  account 
of  its  commanding  position,  adaptability  for 
defense  with  a  small  force,  and  strategic 
importance;"  but  on  what  authority,  he  does 
not  inform  us.  Major  De  Peyster  made  no 
mention  of  any  such  reasons  for  the  removal 


Mackinaw  in  History,  13 

when  he  asked  permission  therefor.  He  rep- 
resented their  then  location  as  untenable  and 
impossible  of  defense,  and  that  the  site  he 
had  chosen  on  the  island  afforded  a  high  bluff 
adapted  to  fortification,  and  that  the  bay 
indenting*  the  island  from  the  southeast  would 
furnish  a  deep  and  sheltered  anchorage  for 
vessels.  He  dwelt  especially  on  the  fertile 
character  of  the  soil  on  the  island  which 
would  enable  the  Post  to  raise  a  large  portion 
of  their  supplies,  and  thus  materially  lessen 
the  enormous  expense  incurred  in  the  trans- 
port of  provisions  from  Montreal  in  batteaux. 
His  successors  laid  stress  on  the  need  of  com- 
pleting the  fortifications,  on  the  ground  that 
it  was  necessary  in  order  to  impress  the  Indi- 
ans with  the  strength  and  determination  of 
the  British  to  preserve  their  foothold  in  that 
region  against  all  comers. 

This  history  contains  scant  recital  of  the 
building  of  the  fort  and  its  several  structures, 
simply  skimming  over  the  subject  without 
detail;  and  that  too,  at  a  time  when  anything 
with  a  flavor  of  antiquity  is  eagerly  sought  for 
and  relished  as  of  surpassing  interest.  For- 
tunately the  letters  of  the  commandants  sup- 


I     '\ 


14  Mackinaw  in  History, 

ply  the  material  for  a  connected  account  of  the 
work  of  construction.  During*  the  winter  of 
1779-80,  as  Capt.  Sinclair,  Lt.  Governor  of  the 
province,  wrote  on  February  15  of  the  latter 
year,  a  wharf  had  been  carried  out  in  Haldi- 
mand  bay,  150  feet,  into  two  fathoms  of  water, 
and  was  nearly  filled  with  stone.  Four  acres 
had  been  cleared  for  the  fort  site  on  the  blu£f, 
30,000  shingles  had  been  made,  the  timber 
squared  for  the  block  houses,  and  3000  cedar 
pickets  (poles  18  ft.  long")  had  been  made 
ready  for  the  stockade  on  the  lower  ground. 
During  the  winter,  those  at  work  on  the 
island  (a  corporal  and  six  men  with  a  band 
of  Canadians),  had  been  left  without  defenses, 
only  having-  a  cabin  for  protection.  At  the 
same  time  he  had  worked  hard  all  winter  in 
strengthening-  the  stockade  and  building-  a 
block  house  on  the  mainland,  while  the  sav- 
ages had  gotten  out  16,000  ft.  of  plank  and 
boards  for  use  on  the  island. 

The  rebel  (American)  successes  in  Ohio  and 
around  the  head  of  Lake  Michigan  caused 
Sinclair  to  fear  that  they  would  seek  him  out 
in  those  northern  wilds,  and  he  did  his  best 
(with  poor  judgment,  no  doubt)  to  forward 


Mackinaw  in  History,  15 

the  work  of  construction  on  the  island,  even 
in  advance  of  orders.  On  May  20  he  wrote 
that  he  was  still  pushing  the  work  of  fortify- 
ing- on  the  main  land,  by  means  of  a  cover  to 
the  water,  two  land  bastions  and  a  redan  at 
the  extremity  of  the  southwest  curtain.  On 
the  island  he  had  at  that  date  a  block  house 
for  the  protection  of  the  wharf,  and  the  tim- 
bers all  in  readiness  for  three  more  block 
houses  on  the  fort  site,  but  said  that  for  fear 
of  the  rebels  at  Detroit  he  did  not  dare  to  put 
them  up.  On  June  8,  Capt.  Sinclair  wrote 
that  everyone  was  anxious  to  move  to  the 
island,  that  the  houses  were  being  taken  down 
and  transfeirred,  and  that  he  had  appropriated 
a  large  boat  for  their  use  in  moving.  On  the 
21st  he  sent  forward  a  memorial  of  the  post 
traders  favoring  the  removal,  but  plainly  inti- 
mating that  they  would  have  a  claim  against 
the  government  for  losses  and  expenses  result- 
ing therefrom.  On  July  8  he  wrote,  "The 
indians  hav(2  delivered  up  the  island  and  form- 
ally surrendered  it  without  any  present."  **I 
have  explained  His  Excellency's  intention  to 
them  to  malce  cornfields  of  the  whole  island." 
On  the  same  date  he  said  **  Nothing  kept  me 


16  Mackinaw  in  History, 

from  the  island  this  year  but  the  want  of  a 
cover  for  our  provisions."  On  the  30th  he 
hegged  for  vessels  **to  transport  pickets, 
boards,  log's  and  hay  to  the  island." 

During  September  and  October  Sinclair  was 
sick.  In  addition  to  his  physical  ailment  he 
was  in  official  trouble.  He  had  lost  the  good 
will  of  the  other  ofl&cers  at  the  Post,  and  the 
government  was  becoming  aware  of  and  rest- 
ive in  regard  to  his  lavish  expenditures  of 
funds.  He  evinces  fear  for  his  safety  on  the 
mainland,  as  having  estranged  Capt.  Mom- 
pesson,  senior  officer  in  military  command,  he 
suffered  a  loss  of  his  feeling  of  security;  and 
at  some  time  during  the  winter,  the  exact  date 
not  being  given  in  his  despatches,  he  made  a 
panic  struck  retreat  to  the  island,  where 
there  were  scant  preparations  for  the  accom- 
modation of  the  103  soldiers,  37  attaches  of 
the  indian  department,  and  nearly  300  Can- 
adians who  were  the  work  people  for  the  Post, 
and  leaving  behind  a  sergeant  and  ten  men  to 
defend  a  fortification  with  three  block  houses, 
more  than  a  quarter  of  a  mile  of  cedar  post 
picketing  pierced  for  1000  muskets,  and  a 
store  of  supplies  to  be  dealt  to  the  indians 


Mackinaw  in  History,  Vi 

during"  the  winter.  He  was  greatly  relieved, 
however,  in  the  spring  of  1781,  by  receiving* 
the  Governor  General's  order  to  push  the  work 
on  the  fort  to  completion  with  all  speed. 

Governor  General  Fred  Haldimand  wrote  to 
Capt.  Sinclair,  August  21,  1780,  "There  is  a 
paragraph  in  one  of  your  letters  respecting* 
the  name  of  the  new  fort  which  Capt.  Brehm 
does  not  sufficiently  comprehend  to  explain  to 
me.  It  is,  however,  my  desire  that  the  Post 
although  moved  to  the  island,  may  still  be 
called  Michilimackinac  and  the  Fort  be  styled 
Fort  Mackinac."  In  this  connection  it  may 
be  remarked  that  the  bay  on  the  southeast  side 
of  the  island  and  which  is  its  only  harbor, 
was  called  "Haldimand  bay"  in  the  des- 
patches from  the  time  of  the  first  mention  of 
removal  thither.  Under  the  United  States 
regime,  this  name,  which  has  an  historical 
interest,  seems  to  have  been  lost. 

On  May  12,  1781,  Lt.  Gov.  Sinclair  wrote  to 
Capt.  Brehm,  "Inclosed  is  the  indian  deed  of 
this  island."  Dr.  Bailey  says,  p.  146,  "There 
is  somewhere  packed  away  with  my  old  books 
and  papers,  the  original  parchment  deed  of 


18  Mackinaw  in  History, 

the  island  of  Michilimackinac,  from  the  Chip- 
pewa indians  to  St.  Clair.  It  reserved  a  stone's 
cast  or  one  hundred  feet,  of  the  beach  around 
the  island  to  indians  for  camping-  purposes 
forever.** 

It  would  certainly  seem  that  an  historian 
would  refresh  his  memory  by  consulting*  the 
"original  parchment*'  hid  away  among  old 
papers,  before  making  statements  of  this  kind. 
But  since  he  did  not,  it  is  fortunate  that  we 
can  supply  a  copy  of  the  original  sent  to  Gen. 
Haldimand.     Here  it  is: 

3Bigf  tbese  presents  we  the  following^ 

chiefs  Kitchie  Neg-on  or  Grand  Sable,  Pouanas, 
Koupe  and  Magousseihig-an  in 
behalf  of  ourselves  and  all  oth- 
ers of  our  Nation  the  Chipiwas 
who  have  or  can  lay  claim  to 
the  herein  mentioned  Island,  as 
being  their  representatives  and 
Chiefs,  by  and  with  mutual  con- 
sent do  surrender  and  yield  up 
His  mark.  into  the  hauds  of  Lieut.  Governor 


Mackinaw  in  History,  19 


Sinclair  for  the  Bebalf  and  use  of  His  Maj- 
esty   George   the  Third    of    Great    Britain, 
France  and  Ireland  King  Defender 
of    the    Faith,     &c    &o    &c    His 
Heirs     Executors,    Administrators 
forever     the     Island     of     Michili- 
mackinac  or  as  it  is  called  by  the     4 
Canadians  La  Grosse  Isle  (situate 
in  the  strait  which  joins  the  Lakes  ^po^^rs.**' 

Huron   and   Michigan)    and    we    do    hereby 
make   for  ourselves  and  our  Posterity  a   re- 
nunciation of  all  claims  in  future  to 
said  Island;  We  also  acknowledge  to  m 

have  received  by  command  of  His  Ex-  A^ 

cellency  Frederick  Haldimand  Esqr. 
Governor  of  the  Province  of  Quebec, 
General  &  Commander  in  Chief  of  all 
His  Majesty's  Forces  in  Canada  &c  &c 
&c  from  the  said  Lieutenant  Governor  Mark  of  pouanas 

&  Kaussb  the  same 

Sinclair  on  his  Majesty's  Behalf,   the  nation  but  diCFereat 

sum  of   Five  Thousand  Pounds  New 

York  currency  being  the  adequate  and  com- 


20 


Mackinaw  in  History, 


pleat  value  of  the  before  mentioned  Island  of 
Michilimackinac,  and  have  signed  two  deeds  of 
this  tenor  and  date  in  the  presence 
of  Mathew  Lessey,  John  McNamara, 
David  Rankin,  Henry  Bostic,  Ben- 
jamin Lyons,  Etienne  Campion,  and 
P.  Antoine  Tabeau  the  underwrit- 
ten witnesses,  one  of  which  Deeds 
is  to  remain  with  the  Governor  of 
Canada,  and  the  other  to  remain 
at  this  Post  to  certify  the  same,  and 
we  promise  to  preserve  in  our  Village  a  belt  of 
wampum  Seven  feet  in  Length  to  perpetuate 
^y\  secure  and  be  a  lasting  memo- 

t  jTy  rial  of  the  said  Transaction  to 

our  Nation  forever  hereafter, 
and  that  no  defect  in  Deed 
from  want  of  Law  Forms  or 
any  other  shall  invalidate  the 
same.  In  witness  whereof  We 
the  above  mentioned  Chiefs  do  set  our  Hands 
&    Seals    this   Twelfth   day   of   May   in   the 


Mark  of 
Magoussbigan. 


Oka. 


Mackinaw  in  History,  21 


year  of  our  Lord  one  thousand  seven  Hun- 
dred and  Eighty  one  and  in  the  twenty  First 
year  of  His  Majesty's  Reign. 

[signed] 

Mathew  Lessey  Benjamin  Lyon 

David  Rankin  Ett  Campion 

Henry  Bostic  P.  An.  Tabeau 

Patt  Sinclair  . 

Lt,   Gov.  &  Commandant.  '■■ 

John  Mompesson      '  ' 

Capt.  Ccmg.  a  Detachment  of  the  Kin^s  Regt. 

R.  B.  Brooke 
Lieutenant  King's  or  Eighth  Regiment. 

John  Robert  McDonali* 
Ensign  King's  or  Eighth  Regiment. 

As  will  be  noted  by  the  foregoing-  deed,  it 
makes  no  conveyance  to  St.  Clair,  as  stated  by 
Dr.  Bailey,  but  to  King  George  III.  Nor  does 
it  make  any  reservation  of  a  stone's  cast 
around  the  island  for  indian  camping  grounds 
in  perpetuity.  That  story  is  simply  one  of 
the  *' fakes"  which  residents    on    the  island 


22  Mackinaw  in  History, 

have  palmed  off  on  summer  tourists,   until 
they  have  brought  themselves  to  believe  it. 

But  how  does  Dr.  Bailey  come  to  have  the 
duplicate  of  this  deed  "packed  away  with"  his 
**old  books  and  papers?"  The  deed  provides 
that  it  shall  remain  a  permanent  record  at  the 
Post.  Does  he  mean  to  inform  us  that  he  is 
one  of  those  curiosity  hunters  to  whom 
nothing  is  sacred,  and  that  having  the  liberty 
of  the  Post  in  his  capacity  of  surgeon,  this 
deed  was  spirited  away  from  its  proper  cus- 
tody and  is  now  lost  from  view  amidst  the 
debris  of  old  chests  and  drawers  in  the  attic? 
He  says  on  page  196,  that  "many  of  the  old 
records  are  lost  or  stolen."  It  is  to  be  hoped 
that  the  State  Park  Commissioners  will  not 
fail  to  make  a  demand  therefor  as  necessary 
to  complete  their  chain  of  title,  which  will 
read  somewhat  as  follows: 

Mackinaw  Island: 

' ' '   ' ' 
1781.  Chippewa  Indians  to  George  III:  by  deed 

of  sale. 

1783.  George  III  to  United  States:  by  treaty: 

Possession  retained  until  1796. 


Mackinaw  tn  History.  23 


1812.  United  States  to  George  IV:  by  conquest. 

1815.  George  IV  to  United  States:  by  treaty. 

1895.  United  States  to  State  of  Michigan:  by 

statute:  in  trust. 

On  July  8,  1781,  Sinclair  reported  that  the 
provision  store,  the  barracks  and  the  maga- 
zine were  up  and  the  foundation  laid  for  the 
officers'  quarters.  On  the  31st  he  wrote  that 
half  the  garrison  and  provisions  for  one 
hundred  men  for  the  year  were  within  the 
works  and  that  the  remainder  would  be  there 
before  October.  All  this  time  there  were 
not  far  from  200  men  engaged  in  the  con- 
struction of  the  new  fort,  or  at  least  drawing 
pay  for  being  so  engaged,  and  the  bills  there- 
for going  forward  to  the  Governor  General  in 
large  sums.  In  the  summer  of  1782,  Gen. 
Haldimand  sent  a  Board  to  examine  and 
report  upon  the  management  of  the  Post  and 
the  construction  of  the  fort.  Their  report 
with  diagram  attached,  shows  that  the  lines 
of  the  fortification  were  not  nearly  complete 
in  any  part;  the  barracks  was  without  glass  in 
the  windows,  only  the  foundation  of  the  offi- 
cers'  barracks  had   been   laid,  and   no   more 


24  Mackinaw  in  History, 

structures  beg-un  or  completed  than  Sinclair 
had  reported  in  July  of  the  year  previous. 
The  engineer  on  the  Board  estimated  that  the 
fort  mig-ht  be  put  in  a  condition  for  defense, 
on  the  plan  he  laid  down,  by  employing-  100 
men  two  months.  His  plan  was  never  carried 
out.  Work  was  continued  each  season,  but 
not  sufficiently  to  preserve  the  timber  work 
from  rapid  decay. 

Skipping"  over  to  1788,  Gother  Mann,  Capt. 
Royal  Engineers,  in  his  report  on  all  the  Posts 
of  the  lake  reg-ion,  said  of  the  fort  on  Mack- 
inaw island,  '*The  fort  itself  has  never  been 
completed,  the  ditches  which  are  in  the  rock 
are  very  little  excavated,  and  the  rampart  but 
partly  raised,  but  in  order  to  shut  the  place  up 
from  being-  surprised  by  indians  or  others  a 
picketing-  has  been  raised  upon  it  all  around 
which  now  begins  to  be  very  rotten;  I  had  a 
part  of  it  towards  the  Bay  shored  up  while  I 
was  there,  but  the  bank  having-  slipped  from 
under  the  wall,  there  is  an  opening  40  or  50 
feet  long  into  the  fort.  The  soldiers  barracks 
is  in  indifferent  repair.  *  *  *  *'  There  is  a 
pile  of  building  of  masonry  intended  for  offi- 
cers barracks,  about  half  finished;  the  walls 


Mackinaw  in  History,  25 

are  nearly  raised  to  their  proper  height,  and 
the  window  frames  put  in,  but  the  roof,  floor, 
etc.,  are  wanting".  The  commanding-  officer's 
house,  the  indian  and  engineers'  stores  are 
without  the  fort.  There  is  only  one  front  of 
the  fort  that  has  flanks,  which  is  opposite  to 
the  commanding  ground."    *  *  *  * 

"Considering  the  foregoing  circumstances 
and  situation  of  the  place,  I  cannot  help  being 
of  the  opinion  that  as  a  military  post,  the 
greater  part  of  the  expense  bestowed  here  has 
been  a  waste  of  money."  And  he  added  good 
military  reasons  for  this  view. 

The  transfer  of  the  British  Posts  south  of 
Lake  Superior  to  the  United  States  having 
been  accomplished  in  1796,  our  author  skims 
over  that  and  the  period  to  the  war  of  1812  in 
less  than  two  pages.  To  the  capture  of  the 
Post  at  Mackinaw  on  the  morning  of  July  17, 
1812,  by  the  British,  and  the  subsequent 
attempts  at  recapture  by  United  States  forces, 
he  devotes  considerable  space,  but  in  a  man- 
ner which  seems  to  indicate  an  absence  of  the 
historical  sense  and  the  spirit  of  research. 
After  a  short   preliminary  statement  which 


26  Mackinaw   in  History, 

seems  founded  on  tradition  rather  than  auth- 
ority, he  g-ives  entire,  Lieut.  Hanks'  official 
report  of  the  surprise  and  capitulation  of  the 
garrison.  This  report  was  not  written  until 
August  12,  after  his  arrival  at  Detroit,  with 
ample  time  to  think  it  all  over,  and  closing  as 
it  does  with  a  request  for  a  court  of  inquiry  is, 
as  might  be  expected,  a  labored  attempt  at 
justification. 

It  is  an  undoubted  necessity  in  arriving  at 
the  truth  of  military  operations,  to  put  to- 
gether the  accounts  of  both  sides.  If  there 
was  no  information  accessible  relative  to  the 
surrender  of  Fort  Mackinaw  other  than  Lieut. 
Hanks'  report,  a  failure  to  look  farther  might 
be  excusable.  But  the  Dominion  Archives' 
office,  at  Ottawa,  is  a  vast  storehouse  of  his- 
torical data  in  original  letters  and  public  and 
private  documents,  without  an  examination 
and  comparison  of  which  no  historical  study 
of  these  northwest  countries  can  be  complete. 

The  reports  of  the  capture  of  Mackinaw 
made  by  Capt.  Charles  Roberts  to  Gen.  Brock 
and  Adj.  Gen.  Col.  Baynes,  are  very  concise, 
and  indeed  too  much  so  to  be  entirely  satisfac- 
tory.    This  may  be  accounted  for  by  the  aid 


Mackinaw  in  History,  27 

of  the  closing'  sentence  in  his  report  to  Gen. 
Brock,  where  he  expresses  the  hope  that  he 
has  not  exceeded  his  instructions;  as  indeed 
he  had.  Early  in  September  following"  the 
affair  at  Mackinaw,  Sir  George  Prevost,  learn- 
ing that  Tanpoint  Pothier,  an  agent  of  the 
North  West  Fur  Co.,  who  had  been  present  at 
St.  Joseph  island  prior  to,  and  at  Mackinaw 
at  the  capture,  had  returned  to  Montreal, 
requested  of  Pothier  a  full  account  of  the 
affair,  which  no  doubt  was  eagerly  given. 
His  story  condensed  within  our  space  is  as 
follows:  He  arrived  at  St.  Joseph  from  Mon- 
treal, July  3,  and  found  the  Post  garrisoned 
by  a  captain,  three  officers  and  forty-five  men, 
and  130  indian  warriors  of  the  Sioux  and  their 
neighbors  from  west  of  Lake  Michigan,  just 
arrived  under  their  leader,  Robert  Dickson,  in 
response  to  a  summons  from  Gen.  Brock.  On 
July  9,  a  messenger  arrived  from  Gen.  Brock 
announcing  the  declaration  of  war,  and  on 
the  10th  Capt.  Roberts  made  a  requisition  on 
Mr.  Pothier,  as  the  agent  of  the  fur  com- 
panies, for  all  the  boats,  arms  and  ammunition 
in  his  possession.  Capt.  Roberts  also  sent  mes- 
sengers to  the  Sault  and  to  Fort  William,  500 


28  Mackinaw  in  History. 

miles  distant  on  the  northwest  shore  of  L/ake 
Superior,  calling"  on  them  for  all  the  men  and 
material  in  their  power  to  furnish.  A  num- 
ber of  men  responded  at  once  from  the  Sault, 
bring-ing-  several  field  guns.  (And  yet  Capt. 
Roberts  reported  that  he  took  to  Mackinaw 
only  two  six  pounders.)  The  trip  was  made 
to  Fort  William  and  return  in  nine  days  (and 
must  have  been  made  in  open  batteaux).  The 
indians  came  flocking  in  from  all  directions, 
and  the  traders  and  their  men  as  well.  Find- 
ing he  could  muster  a  force  of  230  Canadians 
and  320  indians  in  addition  to  his  regulars, 
Capt.  Roberts,  without  waiting  for  the  aid 
from  Fort  William,  left  St.  Joseph  at  11  a.  m. 
on  the  16th,  landed  on  Mackinaw  island  at  3 
the  next  a.  m.,  summoned  the  garrison  to  sur- 
render at  9,  and  marched  into  the  fort  at  11  a. 
m.  on  the  17th,  just  twenty-four  hours  after 
they  embarked  at  St.  Joseph,  and  without 
firing  a  gun. 

Our  author  does  not  offer  any  explanation 
for  this  surprise  and  sudden  capitulation  of 
the  garrison;  but  a  little  reading  between  the 
lines  may  be  an  aid  at  this  point.  Lieut. 
Hanks    says    that    he  was    informed    by   an 


Mackinaw  in  History,  29 


Indian  interpreter,  on  the  16th,  that  the  gar- 
rison at  St.  Jos<;ph  intended  an  immediate 
attack  upon  him.  For  fear  there  might  be 
something  in  it,  he  called  a  meeting  of  the 
gentlemen  on  the  island,  at  which  it  was 
arranged  that  one  of  them,  Michael  Douse- 
man,  should  go  over  to  St.  Joseph  to  see  what 
was  going  on.  Leaving  the  island  at  about 
sunset,  Douseman  met  the  British  ten  or 
fifteen  miles  distant,  was  captured,  paroled, 
and  landed  on  the  island  at  daybreak,  with 
instructions  to  get  the  inhabitants  out  of  the 
village  to  a  point  where  they  could  be  placed 
under  guard.  Later  in  the  day  the  citizens 
were  called  upon  to  take  the  oath  of  alle- 
giance to  the  British  crown,  and  all  did  so 
except  four  men  who  were  sent  away  with  the 
soldiers.  But  Douseman  did  not  take  the  oath 
nor  was  he  sent  away.  Not  only  this,  but 
later  on  he  was  allowed  to  go  to  Montreal, 
and  in  1814,  wishing  to  return  to  the  island, 
he  gave  a  bond  signed  by  two  prominent 
Montreal  merchants,  that  he  would  go  and 
return  without  going  into  any  part  of  the 
United  States.  Michael  Douseman  was  the 
agent  of  the   Southwest   Fur   Company,    of 


30  Mackinaw  in  History, 

which  John  Jacob  Astor  was  the  president. 
Between  the  American  and  Canadian  fur  com- 
panies there  was  an  intense  rivalry,  the  Brit- 
ish regarding-  the  fur  trade  as  peculiarly  their 
own  to  the  exclusion  of  everyone  else,  and  the 
Americans  not  conceding  the  point.  All  the 
circumstances  seem  to  point  to  the  conclusion 
that  Douseman  sold  out  not  only  his  fur  com- 
pany, but  his  country  also.  If  not,  why  was 
he  allowed  to  remain  on  the  island  without 
taking  the  oath  of  allegiance?  Why  was  it 
made  easy  for  him  to  live  in  Montreal  and 
return  at  pleasure  to  the  island?  What  serv- 
ice had  he  performed  for  the  British  in  return 
for  these  favors?  For  what  reason  did  two 
prominent  merchants  of  Montreal  go  on  his 
bond  for  $20,000,  that  he  would  not  while 
traveling  enter  United  States  territory?  The 
bond  specified  that  although  Douseman  was  a  ^0 
citizen  of  the  United  States,  he  had  been  per- 
mitted to  remain  on  Mackinaw  island  since  its 
capture,  for  the  transacting  of  his  business. 
Why  was  Capt.  Roberts  in  such  haste  to  make 
his  descent  on  the  island,  unless  informed 
that  he  could  do  so  easily,  instead  of  waiting 
for  the  assistance  to  come  from  Fort  William? 


Mackinaw  in  History.  31 


V 


Did  not  Douseman  meet  Roberts  bj  appoint- 
ment on  the  evening  of  July  16,  to  let  him 
know  that  everjihing-  was  favorable  for  the 
capture?  Why  was  Douseman  singled  out  as 
the  only  one  to  receive  favors  from  the  Brit- 
ish? While  the  evidence  is  not  positive,  the 
circumstances  are  decidedly  incriminating. 

It  has  sometimes  been  remarked  that  cam- 
paign biographies,  written  for  the  purpose  of 
influencing  voters,  were  of  little  value  from 
the  historical  or  biographical  standpoint;  and 
this  volume  has,  in  its  closing  pages,  ear 
marks  of  having  been  hastily  thrown  to- 
gether, for  purposes  entirely  foreign  to  those 
which  impel  a  true  historian  to  his  work.  A 
comparison  of  these  disjointed  chapters  makes 
it  evident  that  the  author  was  intent  on  de- 
claring his  familiarity  with  Mackinaw,  in  a 
manner  very  like  VirgiPs  ^''  quorum  pars  mag- 
na fui.^'*  He  tells  us  that  the  National  Park 
was  laid  out  and  the  care  thereof  provided  for 
in  conformity  with  his  suggestions  to  the  Sec- 
retary of  War;  that  at  his  suggestion  the  old 
Indian  Dormitory  and  grounds  were  ceded  by 
Congress  to  the  school  district;  that  he  was 
the  original  proposer  of  the  "  Mackinaw  Island 


32  Mackinaw  in  History, 

National  Park"  bill,  Act  of  March  3,  1875, 
and  other  National  leg^islation.  Although  he 
bemoans  the  abandonment  of  the  island  by 
the  United  States,  the  fact  that  this  book  ap- 
peared just  before  the  Michigan  State  Park 
Board  met  for  organization,  before  which  the 
Doctor  was  a  candidate  for  superintendent  of 
the  Park,  forces  the  inference  that  it  wg.s 
intended  principally  as  a  campaign  brochure. 
But  literature  and  history  are  entitled  to 
fairer  treatment  than  is  here  accorded  them; 
the  summer  visitors  at  the  island,  searching 
amid  the  bookstalls  for  information  as  to  that 
historic  spot,  have  a  right  to  expect  a  well, 
written  statement  of  proven  facts,  or  in  the 
absence  of  those,  the  pros  and  cons  of  plausi- 
ble theories.  We  look  in  vain  in  this  book  for 
either.  Tempted  by  the  title  to  possess,  the 
purchaser  finds  himself  without  the  compensa- 
tions of  either  a  pleasing  style  in  description, 
facts  succinctly  stated,  or  what  is  usual  in  the 
modem  semi-historical  guide  books,  elegant 
and  profuse  illustration. 


